Sofia Telescope Views Orion

By Michael Mecham

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (Sofia) returned early Dec. 1 from a 10-hr. science shakedown flight with its first bounty — images of the heart of the Orion star cluster taken at infrared (IR) wavelengths that are not possible by any ground or space telescope.

The mission originated and ended at NASA’s Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., and was ...

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